TRENDING

(Photo credit: twitter.com/utahjazz)

This life-long b-baller started shooting hoops when he was 15-months old, according to his mother, Megan.

“He knows he has to be six before he can play Junior Jazz [the NBA’s the Utah Jazz’s official youth basketball league],” she said. “And he reminds us all the time that he can't wait until he's six.”

J.P., who is currently five-years-old, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2012. Although he’s been fighting cancer for most of his life, that didn’t stop J.P. from following his dreams: to become a basketball legend.

On Oct. 6th, thanks to the Utah Jazz (his home team) and the “Anything Can Be” project, he got to see his dream come true. J.P. was signed on as a free agent guard under a one-day contact with the Jazz during a scrimmage game. The Utah Jazz released their standard, official press announcement, typical of when they sign new players to their roster:

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed five-year-old free agent guard JP Gibson to a one-day contract. Per team policy, financial terms were not released.

In a news conference that took place across from the locker room, J.P. (dressed up in a tie, just like a true pro) signed his official contract in purple crayon and was presented with his own jersey by the team’s executive board.

Then, it was game time.

Suited up in his pint-sized uniform, J.P. took to the bench with the rest of his much larger teammates. In the third quarter of the neck and neck scrimmage, J.P. was subbed in and took the ball down the court, scoring on a slam-dunk with a boost from one of his taller colleagues. 

Check out the video of J.P. scoring below!

by Kate Radin | 2/1/2016